2021 Laudun Rouge, Château Courac
The village commune of Laudun (just north of Châteauneuf-du-Pape) has recently been granted its own appellation (‘AOC’) status, joining it to an elite of just 18 individual appellations across both Northern and Southern Rhône valleys.
As Châteauneuf-du-Pape prices continue to climb, I remain a firm believer that wines made in a similar style by the Rhône's 'other' villages offer superior value by comparison. It's why the Arnaud family's Laudun Côtes-du-Rhône-Villages has been a staple of our range for as long as I can remember.
I had my first tasting of the '21 earlier this year when visiting its makers, the famille Arnaud. It was nothing short of an absolute cracker, in which comparatively cooler vintage conditions have here added an appealing freshness and poise to the ripeness and intensity we had found in the sun-drenched 2019 and 2020.
All in all, another superb vintage achieved and sure sign that the Arnauds Laudun is set to remain a staple for some time to come.
- Ben Godfrey, Buyer, Mr.Wheeler
About the producer
Joséphine and Frédéric Arnaud took over this super property in 1995, and make wines of real warmth, generosity and purity of fruit. Set high in the hills above the village of Tresques (to the north-west of Châteauneuf-du-Pape) the Arnauds have 90 hectares of syrah and grenache vines from which they make their enduringly popular Laudun. Laudun itself is where the Romans first camped when they landed in the south of France - and they knew a thing or two about making wine!